¡Hola! My name is Cynthia. I am from Argentina. As soon as I mention Argentina, many things come to people’s mind: la buena carne (exquisite meat), el gaucho (the Argentine cowboy), and el Tango. When my husband and I came to Ohio for graduate studies and we introduced ourselves as Argentinos, people just assumed we knew how to Tango and were surprised when we told them we have no Tango skills whatsoever. The funny thing is that we always wanted to learn and we even took a few lessons back home when we were dating, but crazy city life just got in the way. There is a saying in English that comes to mind, ‘absence makes the heart grow fonder.’ Being far away from home made us only miss so much more the good things, those that we took for granted when we were over there, so we decided to take Tango lessons at Ohio State and reconnect with our culture.
It is interesting to learn that Tango music began in the working-class port neighborhoods of Buenos Aires, Argentina and Montevideo, Uruguay. For this reason Tango is often referred to as the music of the immigrant. In 1890s, Tango was just one of many available dance forms, but it soon became popular. By 1912, dancers and musicians from Buenos Aires and Montevideo traveled to Europe and the first European Tango craze took place in Paris, soon followed by London, Berlin, and New York. In 1917, folk singer Carlos Gardel ‘Carlitos’ recorded his first Tango song and after that many other popular Tango songs traveled around the world. For many, Gardel embodies the soul of the Tango style.
Nevertheless, for those of you who are only now getting into Tango, the name Ástor Piazzolla should resonate more than that of Gardel. Piazzolla (1921–1992) was an Argentine tango composer and bandoneón player (the tango instrument). He revolutionized the traditional Tango into a new style termed nuevo tango, incorporating elements from jazz and classical music. He is, therefore, widely considered the most important Tango composer of the latter half of the 20th Century.
I can say that Tango strengthens my Argentine identity and after four years of taking classes, we are now fairly confident when we introduce ourselves as Cynthia and Alejandro from Argentina. We now know how to Tango, or at least we try. There are many opportunities here in Columbus to learn and they are right here at OSU. Check out Francesco and Pam at:
http://www.tangobello.com/index.html.
There are also two very active organizations on campus: Columbus Argentine Tango Society:
http://www.tangocats.com;
and TangoOSU at
http://tango.osu.edu
I hope those of you who have been longing to learn Tango, finally put on those dancing shoes. After all, Ohio State provides a friendly and affordable atmosphere, so why not give it a try?
